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Teen Acne

Acne affects teenage boys at a higher rate than girls because of the production of the male hormone androgen, although androgens are present in both males and females. Androgens are responsible for physical maturation in males and therefore occur in much higher levels. After puberty, males produce 10 times as much androgen as females, and so males tend to develop more severe acne than females.

Androgen production is highest in the teenage years but is continuously produced in the body. When hormone production regulates, skin clears up. But for others, acne is a lifelong battle.

Many young women notice that they get more pimples around the time of their menstrual periods. Some studies have shown that up to 70 percent of women notice their acne worsening the week before their periods.

Acne usually starts in adolescence, at around age 11 for girls and 13 for boys, and that heredity plays a big role. If one of your parents had acne, there's a good chance you'll develop it. If both of them had serious pimple problems, then your chances are even higher.

About 80 percent of all teenagers develop some form of acne. Most teens have the milder form of acne, called noninflammatory acne, and get just a few blackheads or whiteheads every now and then. But some teens suffer from the more severe form, called inflammatory acne, and have a constant outbreak covering the face, and sometimes also the neck, back, chest, and groin. These pus-filled pimples and cysts can cause deep pitting and scarring.

How Acne Develops
Acne develops when glands that produce an oily substance called sebum, begin to work overtime. One of the jobs of the sebum is to carry dead cells shed by the glands to the surface of the skin. But because the excess sebum is blocking the openings of the glands, called ducts, both cells and sebum accumulate, forming a plug called a comedo (Pronounced - KOM-e-do). If the plug stays below the surface of the skin, it is light in color and called a whitehead. If the plug enlarges and pops out, the tip looks dark and it's called a blackhead. This isn't dirt and it won't wash away. The darkness is due to a buildup of melanin, the dark pigment in the skin. If the process continues, a pimple forms.

Picking at acne will not make it go away, this may cause scarring. Do not pick at acne lesions.

If you have acne that won't clear up with a home treatment regimen, see a dermatologist - a doctor who specializes in treating skin problems. Sometimes dermatologists use instruments called comedo extractors to remove blackheads. They may also surgically drain large pustules or abscesses.

There are also topical and oral antibiotic medications that can be prescribed by your doctor or dermatologist for more severe acne cases. Also, there are acne scar treatments that can be used to smoothe over deeply pitted and scarred skin. Acne Scar Removal

Acne medication can take at least eight weeks of a prescribed treatment regimen for the patient to see any improvement. Acne may even get worse before it gets better.

Only severe cases of acne should be treated with drugs such as Accutane. People taking Accutane and similar drugs need to be closely monitored by their doctor or dermatologist. There are serious potential side effects, such as headaches, joint pains, and muscle pains, miscarriage, and severe birth defects in the infants of pregnant teenagers taking Accutane, serious psychiatric problems, depression, and more rarely - developing suicidal behavior. Antibiotics such as erythromycin and tetracycline are not as risky, but may produce side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, or vaginal yeast infections.

Today's doctors and dermatologists can help you with your acne problems. You don't have to live with Acne!!

References:
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
FDA Consumer
www.fda.gov

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